Boot or shoe.



No. 69|,29L Patented l`an. I4, |902.

C. PETERS. aoojo sHoE.

. (Application led Mar. 7, 1900.)

(No Modal.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT vEEICE..

CARL PETERS, OF CREFELD, GERMANY.

BOOT OR SHOE.

SPEGLFIGAIION forming part of Letters Patent No. 691,291, dated January 14, 1902.

Application filed March 7, 1900. Serial No. 7,694. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, CARL PETERS, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, and a resident of Orefeld, in the Kingdom of Prussia and German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Connected with Boots, Shoes, or the Like, (for which I have applied for patents in England, dated January 30, 1900; in France, dated January 30, 1900; in Belgium, dated January 29, 1900, and in Germany, dated September 23, 1899,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvedboot or shoe fastener which may be operated in a satisfactory manner merely by the insertion or Withdrawal of the foot itself without the assistance of contracting bands, springs, or the like. This peculiar novel mode of Working is attained by the improved construction of the fore part of the boot-upper, which within certain limits is independent of the rear part of the upper, or vice versa. the boot-upper maybe movable independently of the front part of the upper, the movable part being provided with astrap or loop which extends into the boot in such a way that the foot will catch and press the loop down when the boot is put on, causing the movable piece of the upper to close upon the foot. To facilitate closing the movable piece and to prevent the entrance of dust and moisture at the point of overlapping of the former, a

tongue-piece may be inserted between the fixed and movable parts.

My invention enables the boots or shoes to be put on or taken off with very great facility and rapidity and also insures a perfect t of the boot on the foot. lVhen walking, the strap or loop connected with the movable piece lifts a little and relieves the pressure on the instep or front of the foot which is found so unpleasant particularly in long walks.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents ka longitudinal section of a shoe ready for use. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof. Fig. 3 is arear view; and Fig. 4, a similar view, partly in section.

a indicates the movable front part of the upper of the boot, and b the rear part of the upper. Both parts are connected by a foldable iap or tongue c. The two side iiaps a of the fore part of the upper a will bend on the line CZ in order to allow of their being The rear part of' moved forward, and their ends are connected by a strap or a band e, which passes through the interior of the boot or shoe, entering the latter through slits f. As shown, this strap is attached to a thin leather disk g, fitted to the shape of the heel, and fits as closely as possible to the walls of the heel part of the interior of the boot or shoe. To prevent disk g turning over, a loose extension of the pulling-strip h may be fastened to the movable disk g, as shown in Fig. 1. In order to keep the iiaps a properly stretched longitudinally, elastic steel bands n may be attached thereto, as shown.

When the boot is to be drawn on, the front part or the instep of the foot entering the inside of the shoe pushes the fore part of the upper a forward, simultaneously raisingthe strap e and theplate or disk g, so that the boot assumes the form shown in Fig. 1, in which the tongues c are extended, the foot thus entering without resistance into the extended mouth or opening of the boot until the heel encounters the plate g and exerts a pressure downward thereon in the direction indicated by the arrow in the drawings,where by the strap e is drawn taut and the flaps a of the upper a are closed. (See Fig. 2.) The arrangement hereinbefore described is of course applicable for any kind of boots, not only high uppers, but also half-shoes and the like.

What I claim as new is- 1. In a boot or shoe, the combination of the opposite flaps a', theinternally-movable plate g, the straps e passing through openings in the side of the shoe and connecting said plate with these iiaps; with a tongue c interposed between the aps and the rear part of the shoe, and the pulling-strap 7L connected to the plate g.

2. In a self-closing boot or shoe, the come bination of the opposite iiaps a, the internally-movable plate g, the straps e passing through openings in ihe side of the shoe and connecting said plate with these flaps; with the pulling-strap h connected to the plate g.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

y CARL PETERS. Witnesses:

WM. I). PHELPs, PETER LETRoLTEs.

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